Lacto-fermented chilli sauce

Ingredients

800g of red chillies, stalks and seeds removed

1 garlic bulb, cloves peeled

10 black peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

1l water

50g of fine sea salt

Method

1

Add the chillies, garlic and spices to a large sterilised Kilner jar along with the salt and 1 litre of water and leave to ferment for a week and half. It should start to bubble after a few days, which is how you know it’s fermenting. Open the lid to allow the built-up gas to escape every few days

2

Once fermented, strain the contents of the jar but reserve the liquid

3

Blitz the chillies and garlic in a food processor until roughly chopped, adding a splash of the fermenting liquor to get it going. I suggest you start by blitzing half to a roughly chopped paste, then blitzing the other half entirely with 200ml of the fermenting liquid, to make a smooth sauce. You can then decide which you prefer (for me, it’s the paste)